The BG News September 15, 2016
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Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU BG News (Student Newspaper) University Publications 9-15-2016 The BG News September 15, 2016 Bowling Green State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news Recommended Citation State University, Bowling Green, "The BG News September 15, 2016" (2016). BG News (Student Newspaper). 8931. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/8931 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in BG News (Student Newspaper) by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community, ESTABLISHED 1920 Bowling Green State University Thursday, September 15, 2016 | Volume 96, Issue 9 HOME FIELD The Falcon football team will return to the Doyt for Family Weekend to face Middle Tennessee. | PAGE 8 Predictions Native New health for the 68th American team insurance raises Primetime names are still concerns for Emmy Awards problematic students PAGE 11 PAGE 5 PAGE 7 AY ZIGGY! 2016 FALCON FOOTBALL GET YOUR ORANGE ON BGSU VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, NOON | FAMILY WEEKEND BGSUFALCONS.COM/STUDENT TICKETS BG NEWS September 15, 2016 | PAGE 12 Solar project to power 3,000 households By Kevin Bean Green’s energy portfolio. As the portfolio “The panels in our solar farm will provide energy to the city in an efficient Reporter stands now, approximately 36 percent of actually move as the sun moves across manner. energy used by the city is renewable in the sky. It will generate energy earlier in “You have to find resources that fit a lot the form of wind energy and hydroelectric the day and later in the day because it of different areas. Solar happens to fit with Bowling Green will soon become the home energy. The solar farm brings an tracks the sun. We will get more generation the peaking you would find in the summer of the largest solar energy project in the additional 4 percent of renewable energy during the day while the 20 megawatts is months.” state. to the portfolio, bringing the total up to 40 still the peak output.” Brian does mention that with all the Placed on the southeast corner of percent. The movement of the panel will not renewable energy produced by the city, it Newton Road and Carter Road, 4.9 miles “The city wanted to implement a diverse affect the amount of energy being put out is still only 40 percent of the energy the city outside of the city, the project will take (energy) portfolio, but do it in a responsible by the panels, but will increase the amount needs. This means that man-made energy up 165 acres and in turn produce 20 way. Over the years we have been adding of time that the panels will be able to is not going anywhere. megawatts of energy for the city of Bowling bits and pieces to that, and that’s how we produce energy. “Sometimes the wind blows, sometimes Green — enough to power approximately have managed to hit the 40 percent mark,” Brian said the solar project will be big it doesn’t. We take the energy when we 3,000 homes per year. Brain said, “a lot of other cities struggle to help during the peak times of energy can get it. Sometimes the sun is not out, The solar farm is under construction break the 5 or 10 percent mark.” demand. the wind is not blowing, and the river and will be completed by the end of The farm is being built by a private “You can imagine on the middle of a hot conditions are not right. At that point we 2016. It will begin producing energy for contractor, Blattner Energy, and will be summer day — air conditioning, TV, what need a man made source to supply the the city starting January 2017, said Brian operated by private entity NextEra. have you — there is a very high demand base load.” O’Connell, director of utilities for the city The panels for the Bowling Green solar for energy. But go to February at midnight, The addition of the solar farm to the of Bowling Green. farm operate on a “single axis tracker” they are not using energy and the demand Bowling Green energy portfolio will change The residents of Bowling Green should system, making them different than other drops,” he said. how energy is produced, but not the see no increase in their bills if projections projects throughout the state. “We are using a resource that fits nicely service that is provided to the community. for the project hold. “A lot of the panels in projects like this with the load at the time it’s being called “I think people here in Bowling Green “This will be one of those projects have been on a fix rack panels, the panel for by the customer.” that is part of our overall power supply. like having local control (of their energy does not move throughout the day. They The ability of the solar field to fill the Every customer that uses Bowling Green production). We are not beholden to an maximize, or try to maximize, their output high demand times makes it a big piece of electricity will get their portion of the investor owned utility. Our priority is to around noon or one o’clock when the sun Bowling Green’s “energy puzzle,” a system project,” said Brian. the quality of the product and the quality matches the angle and direction of the of energy production that combines wind, The project is the latest in Bowling of the service we provide people.” panel,” said Brian. hydro, solar, and man made energies to BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY Your Campus Connection TO ADVERTISE CALL 419-372-2606 t we get it. COLLEGE [email protected] www.bgsu.edu/sls STUDENT LEGAL SERVICES HAPPENS 419-372-2951 REAL LAWYERS | REAL RESULTS PHOTO BY ISAIAH VAZQUEZ The University ire alarm system has been changed to avoid nuisance alarms that aren’t taken seriously. New ire approach to reduce false alarms By Vaughn Cockayne to devise a system that is in compliance not evacuating because they assume it’s a with the Ohio fire code, that allows us to false alarm, and it’s not, that’s a problem. Reporter not dump the building for what we call So if we can reduce the amount of false nuisance alarms,” Bowling Green Fire alarms we can minimize the complacency Students living in dorms may have Chief Tom Sanderson said. and improve safety for all students,” noticed fewer fire alarms this year. Those nuisance alarms are cases that Sanderson said. Over the summer, University staff would not be classified as emergencies The new alarm system is actually not worked closely with the Bowling Green by Ohio Fire Code. Sanderson recalled a new system for the state. The National fire department to update and reprogram that over the years there became an Fire Protection Association allows for this the fire alarm system that is in place in all abundance of these nuisance alarms kind of programming, yet the technology dormitories. that would be a result of someone using was different for each dormitory and was According to the News Herald of Dec. hairspray, burning popcorn or running therefore harder for this system to be 29, 2015, there were at least 117 deaths due the shower too long. adopted in previous years. to fires reported in 2015, so the University Yet what students had a problem with Although it is still early in the academic takes fire alert systems very seriously. in the last system was that no matter year, Director of Residence Life Sarah The new system allows for a more the cause of these alarms, the entire Waters believes that they are already streamlined approach to fire evacuations. dormitory would be evacuated. seeing a difference in one key area. Originally, if an alarm was to go off in an Part of what made this so concerning “The one area that we are seeing a individual’s room, the entire building for the fire department is the fact that over difference in is the amount of calls that would have to evacuate. Now, the system the years the alarms became so frequent we are receiving. In past years, even this will only evacuate the building once two that people began to simply ignore them. early, we would see several calls from alarms detect a fire. “Complacency was one of the big parents of students asking what was “The University administration, myself concerns, and a big impact on safety. And wrong with the fire alarms. Yet this year is and the alarm companies worked together it is exactly what people say. If they are completely different,” she said. PHOTO BY NICK BIERE BG NEWS September 15, 2016 | PAGE 3 Program saves money and emissions By Kari Toncre Reporter A University program has saved campus $80,000 since 2010 while also saving the environment. Friday Night Lights is a program run through the Office of Campus Sustainability where students meet on Friday nights and walk around campus buildings, turning off lights that were left on. Friday Night Lights was started by University alum Dustin Sabo. He noticed one Friday night that many lights were left on in unused classrooms. With the help of Manager of Sustainability Nick Hennessy, Sabo was able to start up the program.